Mother charged after teen on e-motorcycle accused of injuring veteran

A Southern California mother was arrested and charged after her teenage son allegedly struck and seriously injured an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran while riding an e-motorcycle, prosecutors said.

Tommi Jo Mejer, 50, was charged with one count of child endangerment and one count of accessory after the fact, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said. newsletter He was also charged with multiple misdemeanors, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor, lending a motor vehicle to an unlicensed driver, and providing false information to a peace officer.

Mejer was arrested April 21 by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, prosecutors said. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in state prison.

Prosecutors accused Mejer of continuing to allow his 14-year-old son to illegally ride an e-motorcycle despite receiving repeated warnings about the dangers. One separate newsletterDeputies responded to a report of a pedestrian who had been struck by what was initially believed to be an e-bike in Lake Forest, Calif., an affluent Orange County city, on April 16, the sheriff’s department said.

Deputies later located a victim with life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s department. The victim was transported to the hospital and remained in critical condition as of April 22, prosecutors said.

“This 81-year-old man survived flying combat missions to preserve freedom in Vietnam and is now clinging to life because a mother refused to parent her child and was run over on the street by a vehicle that should never have been on the road,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. he said.

“There is absolutely no reason why a child who is unlicensed, untrained, and has no idea about the rules of the road should ride a motorcycle going nearly 60 miles per hour next to cars on a public street and think that by some miracle they will be safe,” Spitzer added.

Officials: E-motorcycle designed for off-highway use

The sheriff’s department said deputies were called to the scene on the border of El Toro High School shortly before 4 p.m. local time on April 16. Both prosecutors and the sheriff’s department said the teenage boy fled the scene, but witnesses provided a description of the suspect who was “suspected of reckless driving at the time of the crash.”

Deputies later determined that the e-bike was actually an e-motorcycle designed for off-highway use, according to the sheriff’s department.

Further investigation revealed that the victim, later identified as an 81-year-old substitute teacher and captain in the U.S. Marine Corps who flew combat missions in Vietnam, was shot by the teenager while he was unicycle on an e-motorcycle in the middle of the street, according to prosecutors.

The suspect was quickly identified and a search warrant was executed at a nearby home. Several hours after the incident, prosecutors said Mejer was captured on body-worn camera footage repeatedly telling deputies that neither he nor his son owned or had access to the e-motorcycle involved in the crash.

The sheriff’s department said the teen, whose identity was not publicly released, was also arrested and is being held at the Orange County Juvenile Correctional Facility on charges related to the incident.

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Prosecutors: Teen’s mother admitted she previously bought her son an electric motorcycle

Prosecutors said before the crash, Mejer called the sheriff’s department in June 2025 and “complained that someone was posting photos of his then-13-year-old son riding an e-motorcycle.”

Reflected on body-worn camera footage during a nearly 28-minute interview with two deputies, prosecutors said Mejer admitted that he bought an e-motorcycle for his son and “knew he was driving it carelessly.” At the time, lawmakers warned Mejer that he could face possible criminal charges if he continued to allow his son to ride e-motorcycles.

“Class 3 e-motorcycle riders must be 16 years old and have a motorcycle license,” prosecutors said, adding that the e-motorcycle model involved in the crash requires a valid motorcycle license for street use, DMV registration, a license plate, insurance and full motorcycle equipment.

Prosecutors stated that the e-motorcycle model was “marketed as an off-road e-motorcycle.” The e-motorcycle can reach speeds of 58 miles per hour and is “16 times more powerful than legally allowed for an e-bike,” according to prosecutors.

“Parents who buy their children an E-motorcycle and allow them to ride it illegally or help convert e-Bikes to E-motorcycles are giving their children a loaded gun and these parents will be prosecuted. This is not a threat. It is a promise,” Spitzer warned in his statement.

Increasing risks of micromobility vehicles

Electric scooters, bicycles, hoverboards, and motorcycles have increased in popularity in the United States for recreational and daily transportation purposes, from short distances to sightseeing. But this growth has been accompanied by a sharp increase in injuries, mostly to cyclists and sometimes bystanders.

2023 report Consumer Product Safety Commission It found that from 2017, when the devices were first introduced on a large scale, to 2022, the United States recorded 360,800 emergency room visits related to e-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards, collectively known as micromobility vehicles.

Of those visits, 169,300 were related to scooters, or 47%. By comparison, emergency room trips resulting from e-bike accidents totaled 53,200, or less than 15%.

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons The world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists (AAOS) has warned that data in 2025 shows “an alarming increase in bone and joint injuries along with the increasing popularity” of these tools.

AAOS has urged drivers to research and understand the physical risks of micromobility vehicles before driving them on roads and trails. Health officials have noted that e-bikes, along with other micromobility vehicles, reach higher speeds than traditional vehicles and cause more force during a fall or crash.

“This high-energy impact causes injuries we don’t typically see in traditional bicycle falls,” AAOS spokesman and orthopedic surgeon Brian Waterman said in a statement. “As e-bike use becomes more widespread, the risk of fractures, dislocations and head trauma increases. The best protection starts with awareness, appropriate protection and responsible riding.”

Contributed by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY

This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Teenager riding e-motorcycle accused of hitting veteran. His mother faces charges